Mode of study

3-year full-time

UCAS Code

I620

Start date

September

Overview

We regularly host Facebook LIVE sessions to give you the chance to find out more about our courses and what studying at Brunel is like. For a playback of our recent Games Design Facebook LIVE, click here

Brunel University London’s impact on the future wages of its graduates is among the best in the country compared to other universities, according to a new analysis of government data by The Economist (2017).

About the course

The games design industry is booming and offers an excellent career path with plenty of opportunities for development and innovation.

This intensive, game design course is aimed at students who want to develop a comprehensive understanding of the factors which shape the games industry and the techniques and principles used in the design of games.

Our selection of games design courses cover all the skills needed to make games of all types, whilst also offering a rigorous education that will last a lifetime. You will have the opportunity to design and prototype your own games, as well as analyse and think more deeply about how games work as a medium.

The BA Games Design gives you the flexibility to study what really interests you. In the first year you will study a range of modules designed to help you decide where your particular interests lie. In the second and third year you have the choice to focus on Design, Art, Technology or Game Studies.

By the end of the course, and depending on the pathway you choose, you will have a range of skills sought after by the games industry for roles including game design, game production, game art, game development, game analysis and game research as well as transferable skills relevant to broader fields.

Aims

This programme will equip graduates with a range of skills that prepare them for employment within the digital games industry.

Game design is at the core of what we teach on this programme and is a multi-disciplinary skill that covers the creation of rules, art, software use, communication, writing and much more.

The degree is designed to take those with an interest in games and creative thinking and provide them the skills to communicate their ideas effectively as game designers.

No 3D modelling, programming or computer science background is necessary, just a passion for games and desire to study or become involved in creating them.

During the degree you will learn to prototype, write games design documents, pitch games and develop skills in digital asset creation, image manipulation and 3D modelling relevant to design roles.

You will also learn the core theories, concepts and methods of analysis of games from a theoretical perspective which will help you create games that are informed by a rich foundation of knowledge.

Enquiries

Course Content

The following types of modules are offered throughout the programme:

Design modules, which will aid your ability to produce creative, realisable strategies for generating game design ideas and game design projects. You will undertake design projects, developing a practical understanding of creative game design.

Theory modules, aimed at developing your analytical understanding of the cultural and social significance of games and their historical contexts, as well as studying some design theory to helpyou develop formal design perspectives.

Asset and story creation modules, which help build skills with image creation and manipulation programs and focus on the development of both your game’s visuals and narrative.

Application modules, which will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of the communication skills currently used in the games industry, including presentation and prototyping skills.

Additional option modules will sharpen key skills relevant to working in the games industry and further deepen your design projects, allowing for them to be executed to the fullest. Some examples include specialist Setting and World Design or Game Genre modules amongst others.

There are some unique modules offered to students on the Design, Art, Technology and Game Studies pathways, specifically designed to help you focus on your particular interests. These pathways are chosen in the second year ofstudy and are open to all students.

The BA consists of both compulsory and optional modules. Depending on the pathway selected these may change. Please see below for more information on modules offered throughout the programme for each pathway.

Typical Dissertations

In the final year of the course dissertations will comprise of a major project on an area chosen by the student. Such projects will normally be a game design with a working prototype for the Design pathway, a major game art project for the Art pathway, a software of hardware technology project for the Technology pathway and a theory project for the Game Studies pathway.

Employability

You will acquire core transferable skills of effective communication, leadership, self-management, initiative and personal responsibility, as well as design methodology and systems / structure thinking.

Our students have gone on to work at a wide range of studios including Rovio, Rockstar and Ubisoft.

During the summer break we also offer students the chance to work on team projects for Octopus 8, a games studio run by industry veterans to highlight new talent. The finished games are then published on Steam. Could yours be the next hit?

Careers

This course prepares you for a career within the digital games industry or allows specialisation within the field of Digital Games. Specifically, the course is tailored to fit the role of ‘Games Designer’ providing you with the communication, critical thinking and production skills required by this role.

Work Placements

There are no official placement programmes, but where possible we will work to support students who achieve internship positions or opportunities. Industry guest speakers have also been known to offer internships or other work opportunities on an ad hoc basis.

At Brunel we provide many opportunities and experiences within your degree programme and beyond – work-based learning, professional support services, volunteering, mentoring, sports, arts, clubs, societies, and much, much more – and we encourage you to make the most of them, so that you can make the most of yourself.

English Language Requirements

Brunel University London strongly recommends that if you will require a Tier 4 visa, you sit your IELTS test at a test centre that has been approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as being a provider of a Secure English Language Test (SELT). Not all test centres have this status. The University can accept IELTS (with the required scores) taken at any official test centre or other English Language qualifications we accept as meeting our main award entry requirements.

However, if you wish to undertake a Pre-sessional English course to further improve your English prior to the start of your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider. This is because you will only be able to apply for a Tier 4 student visa to undertake a Pre-sessional English course if you hold a SELT from a UKVI approved test centre. Find out more information about it.

Brunel also offers our own BrunELT English Test and accepts a range of other language courses. We also have Pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet these requirements, or who wish to improve their English. Find out more information about English course and test options.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching

Staff expertise

The games faculty are a mixture of skilled games industry professionals and significant researchers who are all passionate both about games and about teaching. The Brunel games staff pride themselves in the quality of their teaching and the amount of engagement they have with students. The games team have won multiple awards in this area over the last few years including most inspirational lecturer and tutor of the year.

How we teach

A dynamic mix of lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials and play sessions allows students to take course material on board in lots of engaging ways.

Assessment

Practical work is assessed by a range of projects throughout the programme, some of which are carried out in groups.

Special Features

Our students work on team projects for Octopus 8 and have the chance to publish their games on Steam.

The teaching team are experts at nurturing games talent and will introduce you to ideas at the forefront of the discipline as well as provide you with a knowledge and understanding of professional practice.

All students will have 24-hour access to the games lab, where high spec PCs are available to work and play games on. Students will also have access to the Design Room, where an impressive collection of board games is available.

Guest speakers come to Brunel throughout the year to talk exclusively to games students. Such speakers include games designers, senior managers, artists, scholars and games experts.